West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-09-22
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL

Microbes are responsible for many
things. The latest theory of indigo is
that of vi. +. Alvarez, member OF the
French Academy of Sciences, who says
that il is the product OF fermentation
determined in special microbe greatly
resembling that of pneumonia.
IL has been usual To state, in a general
sort of way, that the red currant has
been cultivated "since the time OF Julius
Caesar. DIR. Sturtcvant, of the AgriCul-
tural Station at Geneva, New York, i'm
recently published history OF the currant,
says it was not cultivated till the close
of the sixteenth century.
If the condensed breath collected on
the cool window panes of u
room where "A number Of persons
have been assembled, bo burned,
a smell as Of slnged hair will show the
presence Of organic matter. and If the
condensed breath be allowed TO remain
ON the windows for "a few days, il will be
found, on examination by microscope,
that IL is alive with animalculi. II is the
inhalation of air containing such putres-
cent matter which causes half Of the sick
headaches, which might be avoided by
circulation Of fresh air.
1t has been found that the most practi.
cable method of testing color blindness
is by means of the Berlin worstcds,
which come in all possible spectral col
ors and all shades OF these colors. The
advantages possessed by these worsteds
for this purpose, il is asserted, are that
they are evenly colored on all sides. have
no reflection, are soft and easily handled
and always ready for use. They are done
up in little skcins of uniform size and
appearance the colors being red orange,
yellow, green, pure green, blue green,
blue, violet, purple, pink, brown, gray,
several shades of each color and nc least
five gradations Of each tint, from the
deepest to the lightcst.
The air of the sea, taken at great
distance from land, or even on the shore
and in ports when the wind blows from
the open, is in an almost perfect state of
purity. Near continents the land winds
drive before them an atmosphere always
impure but at 100 kilomcters from the
coasts this impurity has disappeared. The
sea rapidly purifes the pesiilcntial at
mOsphere OF continents hence every
expanse of water of "A certain breadth be
comes an absolute obstacle to the propa-
tion of epidcmics. Marine atmospheres
driven upon land purify sensibly the air
of the regions which they traverse this
publication can be recognized as far as
Paris. The sea is the tomb Of moulds and
of aerial schizophytes.
AS breeder OF diseases SAYS the Cu-
tiDator, there are few things that excel
the average farmhouse cellar IL under
lies the whole house, with nothing TO
prevent its exhaations rising into the
upper rooms except thin board floor.
In this cellar all manner OF things for
family use are kept the season round.
Meat, vegetables, milk, butter, bread,
pastry, preserves, pickles and fruit are
here stored in their various receptacles
There is very seldom anything to sep
arate the fruit and vegetables from other
parts of the cellar, and there is usually
more or less decaying vegetable matter
TO load the air with poisonous germs
At various seasons of the year the cell
lar walls collect dampness, or small pools
OF water lie under the loose board floors,
sending up malarious odors into the
rooms above.
DIR. GTiffiths, an English physician,
has recently demonstrated that iron sui
phate is an antidOte for many Of the most
yiruleat epidemiCs which attack field
and garden crops. These diseases are
due TO microscopic funguscs, whose
structures are built up in somewhat
different manner from the corresponding
parts in other plants. II appears that
the cellulose in these funguses is acted
upon by iron sulphate, whereas in the
higher plants the cclulose of the cell
walls is not influenced The iron sui
phate destroys the ccllulose Of the fun
guses, but does not affect that Of the at
tackled plant. IL is, therefore, an anti
dote and destroyer OF such parasitic
germs and fuDguses as the potato disease,
wheat midcw, etc